Vacuum-cleaner nozzle.



L. 0. RUDbLPH.

VACUUM CLEANER wozzu. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-'30. I9l6.

1,278,222. V PatentedSept. 10,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

L. '0. RUDOLPH. VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 30, I916- -Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

' '26. bodiment 'of this invention.

- STATES I AT L QF 1mm 11'. nunon'rm or cnrcaeo, rumors, I

' To all whbm it metro mam.

Be itjknown that I, LYNN'DQRuDoLrH, a

" citizen of the United StatesofAmerica, and

' aresident of Chicago, county of Cook, and

5 State of .Illinois, have invented certain new and useful-Improvements in'Vacuum-' Cleaner Nozzles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements .in vacuum cleaner tools,"parti'cularly such as are used to clean floors.

The main ob ects of thisinventi'on are to provide an improved means for a tool or nozzleof this kind which will cause the tool to pick upsmall articlessuch as.matches,

cigar stubs, scraps of paper, hair and other surface dirt, more readily than other de- 'vices .heretofore in use; and to provide a 1 nozzle of this kind-having improved means forv adjustingthe mouth thereof to adapt the deviceto the usual other purposes for 'which vacuum cleaners are used. Y

-Inthe-accompanying-:drawings Figure 1 is atfront'elevation .of an illustrative em- Fig'. 2 is a bottom view of the same.

Fig. across section ofj the'same taken .on the lineA -A'of Fig. 1 ,1 t v 7 Fig.4 is a'front elevation of another-form aapi the tool wherein the mouth is adjustable.

' Fig.5 is a crosssection of the same taken 'on the line B B- ofxFig..4. I

' Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross section of I "the same'but showing the flexible lip of,

' Bethe nozzle in its'raised-position."

Fig. 7 is a detail. of themeans for adjustthe lip of the nozzle.

' any vacuum cleanernozzles are provided withmouths so formed as to contact more' 40 or less with the surface operated upon,

around-the entire outer edge of the mouth,

for the-"pur ose'of limiting the open area. through which acurrent of airmay flow in order that the maximum velocity of such ,45. current may be obtained. Accordinglywhen v such nozzles are reciprocated over afloor and engage comparatively large articles, such as cigar stubs, they may fail to lift the same into the dust receptacle, these articles being merelyrolled along in front of th'e nozzle. r Sucharticles ordinarily cannot, be drawn i into the vacuum cleaner by tiltingthe nozzle, since the velocity of the current of] I .1 air is thereby greatlyreduced, due to the excessively 'Wld areaof the exposed [open mouth of the nozzle in such case.

. vacuum-cranium NozzLn Specification of Letters ratent. 4 Patented Se t. 10, 1918. r Application and September 30,1916. Serial 11 123,019. Y r '1 i The purpose of the present invention is to provlde a construction of cleaner nozzles In the construction shown 'in thedrawings, thecleaner nozzle 1 comprises a flared tubular body 2 havinganoblong mouth and arranged for connection to the usual vacuum cleaner apparatus- The 1nner wall or 11ning- '8 of the nozzle may be made of rubber,

or some other flexible'material, or it may be made of rigid material, provided a suitable.

arrangement is included for permitting com-- parativelyv large articles to pass into the to lift such articles may be tube through one of'thewalls thereof rather than directly through the usual mouth opening at the bottom of the tube.

- For the usual purpose of disengagmgdust fromsurfaces operated 'upon a brush 1 par tially surrounds the inner wall 8 of the tube-and is provided with a-layer of bristl s 6' which extend downward .to or slightly be; yond the lowestextremity of the cleaner to operatively contact with the surface to be cleaned. The bristles surround the inner tube on three sidesfbut have a'gap as at 7 When matches, cigar stubs or other small cleaner approaches the article'at the side where the gap occurs, and such article is notbrushedaside by the bristlesv Means' to facilitate drawing the articles Fig. 1, or adjustable as shown in Fig. 4.

In'Fig. 1, the tube is shown formed with I a recess in its front edge to provide a gap between the tube and the floor upon which articles are to be'drawninto the tube, the

- into the tube may be permanent as shown in I the tube is adapted to be placed. This gap may also be provided for by rolling .part of the flexible tubev back as shown in Fig. 6. This gap is adjacent to the gap t in the layer of bristles, so that when the cleaner approaches a comparatively large article.

the gap in the bristles permits the cleaner to to pass over it, whenceit is sucked upward with the rest ofthe-dirt.

The 'nner wall of thecurtain is preferably pass partially-over the articles. The suction at the gap 9 draws the article intbthe' tube or'permits the front wall .of the tube shown in this figure, the inner lining is adapted to contact at its lower extremity with the surface to be cleaned. When it is desired to pick up a small article, the tool is pushed forward so that the gap in the.

bristles will permit the article to enter the inclosure. The operator may then shift a manually controlled slide 17 upwardly, and

since the lower end of the slide or rod 17 is connected to the outer edge of the inner lining 8, a portion of the lining is lifted upwardly, providing a gap 9 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The rod 17 is retained in its upper position by means of an annular coiled spring 16 surrounding the rod 17 and seated in a recess 15 in the body portion -1. The spring is retained in recess 15 by a flange 18 of part 2 of the cleaner. The rod 17 is provided with ,a double cone portion 19 for cooperating with the spring in such manner that the spring will cause the rod 17 to be shifted to its extreme positions after the rod is manually shifted to cause the cone'to pass the center of the annular spring. 3

Although but two specific embodiments of this invention are herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous "cleaned, said tube having a' recess formed along one edge of its lower end and above said surface to permit articles to be more readily admitted to the space within said tube, and a row of brush bristles adjacent to said tube and arranged to contact with the surface to be cleaned.

2. A vacuum'cleaner nozzle, comprising I a supporting member, a tube of oblong cross section depending therefrom and adapted to contact with the surface to be cleaned, said tube adapted to have a recess formed along one edge of its lower end and above said surface to permit articles to be more readily admitted to the space within said tube, and means for adjusting said tube to form said recess.

3. In a cleaner, a nozzle member having a flexible mouth arranged to have one portion of its edge raised to form afrecess therein and with respect to the surface to be cleaned to form a ap above said surface, and means for ad usting said mouth to open or close a gap therein above the surface being cleaned. Y

4. In a cleaning device, a mouth tube of flexible material having an edge adapted to contact with the surface to be cleaned and having a portion of said edge adapted to rest above said surface to form a recess therein, means for raising said edge portion of the tube from said surface, and 'a brush outside the tube havinga gap adjacent said portion of the tube. Y

5. In a cleaning device,'a flexiblemouth tube provided at its lower extremity with a coiled wire reinforcement adapted to s engage the surface to be cleaned, partially surrounding said tube.

, 6. In a cleaner, a nozzle member having v a flexible mouth arranged to have one por .tion of its edge raised and lowered with respect to the surface to be cleaned to form a gap above said surface, means for adjusting said mouth to open or close a gap therein above the surface being cleaned, said means comprising a bar movably mounted" in the nozzle member and secured to the flexible mouth thereof and having a double cone portion, and an annular coiled spring seated in said nozzle member and surrounding said bar for the purpose of co-' operating with the double cone portion" thereof.

Signed at Chicago this 26th day of Sept. 1916.

LYNN'D. RUDOLPH". 

